I'm so annoyed. At this book, at myself. But mostly at Harri for being such an awful person and friend. I won't sugarcoat it; I really disliked this book, as much as I wish I hadn't. The way it was written, the constant need to suspend my disbelief (which I quite frankly did not want to do), and the incredibly bland cast of characters.. everything just irked me. So much.

The Boyband Murder Mystery follows Harri and her friends as they try to solve the murder of Evan Byrd, which his best friend Frankie Williams has been accused of. The twist? Frankie is the lead singer of Half Light, an international boyband sensation of which Harri & Co. are dedicated Stans™, and they're hell bent on proving he didn't do it. The premise of this sounded so fun and, as someone who has dedicated many years of her life to being a One Direction Stan™, something I could really relate to and enjoy. Did I do either of those things? No, I did not. And, like I said, I'm really annoyed about it.

Let's start with something that was, and still is, bothering me: I have no idea what demographic this is written for. Yeah sure, it's YA. But is that 12 year old YA? Or 18 year old YA? Because Harri is the most childish and naive 19 year old I have ever come across and it's jarring. I used to think the same way Harri does; that no one knows 'the boys' the way the fans do. But I was 12 years old, and Harri is 19. She constantly puts her obsession with the band above her own personal relationships and, despite how high a pedestal she puts herself on, acts like the very same self-centred and delusional stalkers she condemns. And it makes her so unlikeable. The other characters aren't much better, with most of them being throwaway cardboard cutouts that I honestly couldn't care less about (seriously, who is Ruby?). I only liked Stef because we share the same name, and the poor guy was constantly being blown off because Harri was taking the whole lol ur not *celebrtiy name* trend from 2013 a little too literally.

The mystery aspect of this also wasn't the greatest. The 'big reveal' felt like something out of a fanfic I read when I was 14 (this is not a compliment, unfortunately) and it was such an underwhelming and unsatisfying climax. The fact that a lot of the mystery unfolded because Harri & Jas were somehow able to get in contact with these people who were supposedly incredibly famous? On an international scale?..... yeah, it doesn't add up. Someone with a couple million followers isn't going to see your message and respond within seconds, as much as we all wished they would. This isn't a fantasy, but it sure as hell feels like one.

I wish I could end this review on a lighter note, and tell you something that I enjoyed about this book, but I don't normally like anything about the books I give 1 star. The ending was almost good in a bittersweet way, but it was ruined because of how unsubtle this book is about everything it does. It's hard to appreciate whatever is being said about fan culture when it's immediately pointed out with such little grace that it actually becomes irritating. It hurts my little 1D heart to say this, because I had such high hopes, but I really can't recommend The Boyband Murder Mystery to anyone. I can only hope that, if you do pick it up, you at least have a better time reading it than I did.

This book was… okay.

Honestly the premise is increasingly far fetched and requires a bit too much suspension of disbelief to be entirely comfortable. The main character is actually VERY Unlikeable for most of the book. She is rude to her parents and friends, and unhealthily obsessive about things. There is a big life lesson/moral at the end of the book that is supposed to be uplifting and while it has positive elements, overall it just feels hackneyed and shoehorned in, unnecessary to the plot. (I like my Murder mysteries to be heavier on the murder and mystery.)

One part I did like was the crime itself - I thought it had substance and twists similar to some of the best YA crime thrillers out there. I liked the red herrings which were believable, something that can be hard to manage in a YA crime story.

Overall this book was a light, quick read and I did enjoy it. I just wish the main character was less obnoxious.

📚r e v i e w 📚
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What would you do for your favourite band? Buy tickets to every show? Stock up on merch? Get an internship at their record label? Save one of the members from life in prison? Well, that’s exactly what Harri, Jas and their friends in the Half Light fandom do in The Boyband Murder Mystery by Ava Eldred.
*swipe for blurb!*

🎶 🎶 🎶
If you’ve ever loved a band more than life itself then you will know the power of a fandom to bring people together. You’ll also know that fans are terrifying (in the best way) and to never underestimate them. This fast pace, fun, roller coaster of a book is the perfect feel good read for the summer that will reawaken the fan girl in you - I was instantly transported back to the days of trawling forums for the latest Mcfly news and constantly refreshing ticketmaster for when the latest twenty one pilots tickets go on sale. If you’re missing live music, this is a great way to fill the void all while enjoying fandom badassery and solving a murder!
____
3.5 / 5
Thank you @netgalley and @penguinukbooks for the early copy!
@avalikealullaby #gifted

I loved this fast paced ya mystery. Although I will say it wasn’t believable in some parts, I must admit what books isn’t. I read this in just two sittings as it’s an easy novel to read, but I would still recommend it to the mystery ya readers out there!!

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Random House Children’s UK in exchange for an honest review.

I was a little worried when requesting this book that it would be a bit too ridiculous but thankfully, The Boyband Murder Mystery hit that sweet spot between fun and good storytelling. This is the story of Harri, a megafan of the the fictional boyband Half Light. When one of the members of the boyband is arrested on suspicion of murdering his best friend, Harri and her friends take it upon themselves to try and clear him of the crime by using their fandom expertise and skills.

There was a lot I really liked about this book. I'd say it leans more on the contemporary side than mystery, and the tone remains light and fun throughout. I wish a little more emphasis had been placed on the friendships of the girls within the fandom (only Harri and her best friend Jasmine really get much focus) but the characters are decent and you do get some nice friendship moments. One aspect I really liked was that Harri was at university. I feel a lot of these stories feature high school protagonists so it was nice to both see the uni environment on the page and also have a protagonist who could be a bit more independent without plot issues.

My only real issue with it is that it sometimes goes a bit overboard on the worship of fan culture, which wasn't unexpected and fit with the general tone and plot of the story. I will say there is a surprisingly poignant and heartfelt part about letting fandoms go and how that feels, and that was an incredibly strong bit of writing. I felt genuinely quite moved and I think it's something a lot of people can identify with. It adds a deeper sense of emotion to the book and it was very welcome.

Overall, this is a fun YA romp with a lot to like. It's perfect for not only fans of boybands, but fans of all kinds. If you want a deep or super detailed mystery, then this isn't the book for you but if you're looking for a decent and enjoyable contemporary with some fun heist elements, then give this a go for sure.

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Harri and her friends are superfans of Half Light, a hugely famous boyband fronted by the beautiful Frankie. When Frankie’s lifelong best friend Evan is killed, Frankie is arrested but his fans are adamant that he’s innocent. So, it’s up to the fans -those who know him the best- to solve the case and set Frankie free. This is a really fun celebration of the power of fandoms and the beautiful friendships that can be formed through sharing a passion like a boyband. It is also a demonstration of the very real love that can spark between boyband members and their fans. The Half Light boys seem to be eternally grateful to their fans and although this may not always be realistic, it was really lovely to see it. Of course, it was also an intriguing mystery but it is so much more than that!

The Boyband Murder Mystery is an engaging, entertaining and totally bingeable rip-roaring ride.

I think the main strength of this book is how it is essentially a love letter to the power of teenage fandom. Far too often, teenage girls are belittled and mocked for their fandoms. They’re dismissed and seen as being immature. Eldred instead celebrates the community and power a fandom can hold. It’s a crucial part of being young, to find common interests and a shared love of something with a community that you can build around you.

The Half Light fandom is exactly that for Harri. It’s her solace and where she builds genuine friendships. The gorgeous feeling of acceptance and love surrounding the community makes the book shine and fills your heart by the end. We get to know these wonderful, fully fleshed-out characters through this sphere of fandom and feel that sense of instant connection Harri has to them. Music brings them all together and Eldred celebrates the uniting power of fandom across the world.

I liked how Eldred never patronised her readers, instead she utilises the skills of fandoms to offer a unique take on a murder mystery. The over-analysis of every online post actually works in favour of Harri here, as her and her team of fellow superfans decide to take on the case themselves. In doing so, they peek behind the gilded facade of stardom and encounter some dark and tough scenarios occurring behind the curtain. This book also explores the toxic side of fandom and fame itself, with a large focus on appearances differing from reality and manipulation of public perception. Every act, every caption is a carefully calculated marketing and power move and Harri’s realisation of this is heart-breaking at times.

The Boyband Murder Mystery is an intrguing take on the murder mystery genre, with a focus on the power of teenage fandom and the joyous aspects that can grow from it.

This book started off really fun and had a vibe similar to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. However, the main characters quirkiness got old and she became more insufferable as the book went on. It was hard to believe that she was a university student, not because of her love for the Boyband but because of how immature she is. I also feel like this story should've been aimed at a younger audience with a younger main character.
The writing was good overall but there were some passages that stuck out and seemed odd amongst the rest of it. The parts where the main character met the band also seemed self-serving and fanfiction-esque which isn't necessarily a bad thing but wasn't for me.

The Boyband Murder Mystery is a well written and easy to read YA book with good likeable characters, a murder to be solved and a heavy dose of boyband fandom.

Harri and her many friends live all over the world but bond because of their absolute worship of the band Half Light. Most of the friends have never met, but know everything about the boys and the band and their love of them takes over their lives. When one of the band, charismatic lead singer Frankie, is arrested on suspicion of the murder of his best friend Evan it looks like this is the end for Half Light.

Together Harri and best friend Jas combine efforts to clear Frankie’s name and with other fangirls piece together what happened on the roof of the building that Evan fell (or was pushed) off.

Although this is a book about fandom it is also about friendship and growing up, realising that the hero worship of these boys is okay but they are just people too with flaws and insecurities. The friendship between Harri and Jas was really well written and not without its issues, just like other teen friendships.

A good read and one that I would recommend. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Boyband Murder Mystery is a novel all about boybands, fangirls, and the relationship between them.

Main character Harri is a massive fan of the boyband Half Light. They shape her friendships, her chosen degree, and her spare time. So, when news breaks that frontman Frankie has been arrested for murder, Harri and her fangirl besties waste no time wading in to help solve the mystery. Determined to prove Frankie's innocence and return her favourite band to the spotlight, it isn't long before Harri's devotion to Half Light is put to the test once and for all.

Although Half Light is a fictional band, it's all too easy to picture them in your mind. Jack, Kyle, and Frankie - the charismatic frontman. The beauty is that this trio could easily be swapped out for any one of a number of boybands with dedicated fans all over the world.

The fangirl community in this book is intense, yet true-to-life. From the girls who camp outside the member's homes and studios to the army of fans watching their every move over the internet, these are the people who know every last little thing about the boys they idolise. Interestingly, though, the shared experiences bond these girls together like nothing else could. They come from all over the world, from different cultures, countries, and backgrounds, yet they all have one thing in common - and it's incredible to see this spirit put into words.

I actually found reading this book to be quite an emotional experience. At its heart, this is a love letter to all the boybands we worship, and the friendships those boys have given us. Those special bonds between fangirls are a boyband's greatest gift - even more so than the music.

Fifteen-year-old me would have enjoyed this book, but twenty-something-year-old me loved it. From the nostalgia to the community and the sense of being part of something so much bigger, this book made me feel all of the feels!

The comfy armchair mystery for the year 2021!

This takes the long established snooping rules as set down by Agatha Christie and co all those years ago and gives it a modern twist. Instead of the village fete we have Tumblr posts, face time instead of letters, and no butlers in sight; but there are a lot of PR workers.

Well written and a story of finding yourself amidst everything around you imploding, this is as upbeat as a murder mystery can be.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book. This was an easy to read YA Contemporary book focusing on friendship and fandoms. I was intrigued by the premise of the story but it fell flat for me and some parts felt very unrealistic.

Reading this I thought, 'what would 12 year old me think?' And 12 year old me would have LOVED this, obsessed over this, just like she did for the boybands in her life. Actually, just like 27 year old me who cried when she met Ben Adams (if you don't know who he is, Google him, you won't regret it).

I do think this is a YA novel that is aimed at the younger end but it's a fun read which transported me back to the 90s and early 00s. A time where the end of my world was the Westlife split and that time when Ben Adams cut his hair, tragic!

Summary:

Harri and her friends are superfans of Half Light, an internationally famous boyband. They practically worship them. However, bad news has arrived. The frontman, Frankie has been arrested by the police as a suspect on his oldest bestfriend’s murder. She is devastated. She and other Half Light superfans realise that they know and understand the members more than anyone else. Hence, she and her friends have gathered an army of fangirls to investigate the case in order to prove that Frankie is innocent. Do not underestimate passionate fangirls.

My opinion/review/thoughts:

First of all, I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for this ARC with an exchange of an honest review. This review is written by me voluntarily.

Okay, this is another level of fangirling. Investigating a murder mystery which involves a member of your favourite boyband. I am really intrigued by the premise of this story. For me, the idea is really cool but the execution is not quite attractive to me. There are some parts that are not quite clear, but it may just be me. Because they cannot interfere with the police investigation, they need to solve the case on their own and some of the methods are actually at the wrong side of the law. In my opinion, some people may not be quite comfortable with the story because from what I see, their crime-solving is quite mixed with obsession. That matter might be not sitting well with some people. Because I am a part of fandoms too, even though I am not really a superfan, I can understand their reasoning but not really their ways of conducting the investigation. For me, I don't really like how the main character behaves, for me, she is quite unstable but luckily she has friends to help her. There are filler characters too that in my opinion do not really affect the story flow. For me, I much prefer the friendships between these girls rather than crime-solving itself, but the story is still nice to read even though it is a slow read for me.

The first thing you should know; the murder isn't really the point of this book. It's what starts everything off, but it's not what the book's about. What it's about is the awesome power of late teen girls, and the sheer joy of fandom, and how online friends are just as valid as offline.

This book is really good fun, but I do have a couple of reservations; first of all, Harri is frequently mean to people for no particular reason other than 'I'm stressed' (which, fair enough, we can all be stressed, but accusing her father of being happy someone died and someone else went to jail? Not cool.)

I also would have loved to have seen a guy in the Superfriends. I know fandom in general, and very particularly in boybands, is seen as a female space, but there are plenty of boys in there too. Adding a boy to the group would have been nice.

Those are minor things, though. Ava obviously has a real love for fandom and it shines through in her writing, raising up a group that's more often torn down because they dare to enjoy something. I loved watching this group hold each other up and help each other out, and I'm really glad they plan to stay together at the end. I wish I could put in my favourite quote, but it's a spoiler, so I'll just say; definitely read this one. It's fab.



(There is some minor, mostly implied sex.)

It was a really easy read book, I'll be honest there wasn't as much mystery as I would of liked. But would be a good introduction to the genre sort of book for an older child/early teen

*I was sent an arc of The Boyband Murder Mystery in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Penguin Random House Children’s UK and Ava Eldred.*

Synopsis:
“'I have long believed that loving a boyband brings with it a wealth of transferable skills, but I'd never imagined solving a murder would be one of them...'

Harri and her best friends worship Half Light - an internationally famous boyband.

When frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend Evan, Harri feels like her world's about to fall apart.

But quickly she realises that she - and all the other Half Light superfans out there - know and understand much more about these boys than any detective ever could.

Now she's rallying a fangirl army to prove Frankie's innocence - and to show the world that you should never underestimate a teenage girl with a passion…”

Review:

This was super fun and a pretty quick read. You jump into the mystery very early on and it manages to keep you interested throughout the entire book.

One element that I didn’t enjoy so much was the ‘how we met’ which took me longer than I would like to admit was little snippets of a fanfiction/one-shot. I feel like these did take away from the intensity as they broke up sections of the chapters. However, the inclusion of them did play massively to the fan culture side of this story.

As someone who used to be a part of a fandom just like this one, I found this book quite nostalgic, well other than the whole murder mystery part. It really shows fan culture in a good light and I’m glad that it didn’t at any point cross the line into ‘crazed fan-girl territory.

Although some moments can be seen a little like this, for example sneaking into a press conference and having other fans wait outside the band’s house. I do think it still shows a very mature side of fandom.

I absolutely love that part of this book is set in Brighton, as I live there myself, however, the only time spent there is in uni halls so that was disappointing. Including well-known parts of Brighton such as The Lanes and The Pavillion would have been incredible. Obviously, this did not take away from the story and would not have added anything to it, but it would have been a nice element if it was included.

The characters were really strong and portrayed different types of fans very well. I loved the dynamic between Harri and Jas and it really made me nostalgic for old fandom friendships.

Showing the international friendship side of fandom was a joy to read. Having Jas’ parents meet Harri for the first time and Jas telling them she’s a friend from uni because they don’t understand that people online are real friends was extremely relatable. I’m sure a lot of people reading this will agree with this.

Having this huge army of girls from all over the world working together to solve a murder case honestly didn’t seem completely over the top even though it probably should. A huge part of being in a fandom is having friends from all over the world and let’s be honest I wouldn’t put it past boyband fandoms to try and go as far as solving a murder case.

There is a romance sub-plot throughout this book and even though I really appreciated that Stefan was not scared by the whole “We’re going to prove the innocence of a world-famous pop star”, I do think his character was mostly pointless. Although he did in a way show Harri that she doesn’t really ‘love’ the boys in Half Light and this helped her to come to the conclusion that she won’t end up with one of them and that’s ok.

I do think he could have maybe played a bigger role in helping them solve the case and then I wouldn’t have minded him being there so much. But romance was not the main element of this book so honestly, it doesn’t really matter.

Overall I really do think this is a great realistic look at fan culture in the modern-day. I loved seeing how a band can connect so many people from all over the world and being able to relate this to my teenaged years obsessing over a band.

The Boyband Murder Mystery is a love letter to those who may be in a fandom now or those who are looking back on their fandom days. Everyone will find a character they can relate to and the mystery side of the story keeps the book entertaining throughout.

A good girl's guide to murder meets fandom culture in a brilliant bundle of nostalgia is the only way I can sum up this novel. It felt like the novel my younger self wanted to be in (besides the murder), I can't honestly explain how real the fandom culture representation was in this book - I really saw myself from my teenage years represented in a way that rarely happens. I am not ashamed to admit I am a hardcore boyband fan, and when I was younger I was fully in deep with fandom culture online and had some experiences that felt very similar to that of the main characters in this book and I really loved seeing that, it made me feel so nostalgic for when One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer were at their prime and if I'm honest that made me adore this book. In the end, I saw much of myself in the characters it didn't really matter that they had their flaws. I loved the murder mystery element - even if the lengths some of the characters went to were a little unbelievable. I did find that some of the characters felt much younger than two girls who were at uni, but this did not deter from how much I really enjoyed the story. It's not perfect by any means but it was such a fun book, that made me feel some kind of way about my own childhood.
I think if you have never been a huge fan of fandom culture, or aren't a huge fan of YA murder mysteries this book might not be for you, but if you are either of those things, definitely give it a go.
4 out of 5 stars.

When the best friend of Frankie, frontman of the internationally know boyband Half Light is arrested for murdering his best friend, Harri an avid fan decides to prove his innocence. Cause who knows him best than her and her group of fangirl friends?

Even more fun than the premise promises. Full of charm, smile-worthy and spot-on for a fan's perspective, for a young person's perspective in this day and age. The 1st person POV is endearing and pragmatic/grounded, for a bit of an over the top situation. You feel like you are in Harri's shoes. You identify with the end of the world sensation of that age, and how you lose the earth under your feet when faith in your idol is shattered. How it can be a metaphor for life itself.

Including extremely likeable characters and a plot that thickens in just the right way. I love how the clues and suspicions just trickle intelligently and naturally into the narrative. An intriguing mystery, pleasantly unpredictable.

Harri's musings and many conversations with her friends make you think on many aspects of life, including relationships and identity. What can inspire loyalty? Shows how much music is an integral part of our present and our past. It deals with how much of our existence online is 'real'. What constitutes a 'real' friendship?

Something that bothered me was these "How we met" daydream interludes that throw you out of the story. I didn't really understand their significance right at the actual event, I wanted to get to what was happening in the moment not read hypothetical situations.

A love letter to any kind of fan with its realistic and respectful take on fandom, while still depicting the honor and joy of it. And a nice little mystery to boot.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately, if you want a book about boy bands and mysteries this isn't that book. This is a book about friendships and fandoms. It was a quick read but this wasn't the book for me, as an avid lover of bands myself I couldn't ever seeing myself going this far.

I do believe the author is part of a fandom and knows how obsessive some fans can get, I just thought this was a bit of a stretch.

2.5 stars